Living in London; Traveling and Eating Everywhere

Five Years in London (and Four Years of Blogging)

Americans are sometimes accused of not valuing tradition or caring for the past. Well, this is one American who loves traditions and wallowing in the past, even if the traditions are so recently created they could hardly be so called.

Jon and I arrived in the UK on 21 August 2005 carrying lots of excess luggage and more money than common sense (we actually hailed a black cab from Heathrow to central London, lol).

I started this blog on the one-year anniversary of our arrival in the UK, and since then, I’ve loved doing a 12-month “look back” every year, so here’s my 2009-2010 roundup in food and travel:

@Mr Noodles – Man, that would be amazing (to find good General Tso’s here), but think about all the awful wild goose chases I’d have to endure first. I couldn’t handle another No. 10-style disappointment! lol.

@Krista – So nice to hear from you! I just googled quango so I can say “yes, I do know it’s a quasi non-governmental organisation.” Why do you ask?

Happy anniversary! Your and Su-Lin’s posts on Shilpa convinced me to put it on my to-do list, though I haven’t made it there yet… I photographed it entirely on spec as I walked past in the rain, then googled when I got home.

Also glad to hear you liked Hibiscus — I liked it a lot, and have been a bit sad to see that some bloggers didn’t enjoy it.

@Kake – many thanks, and I’ll look forward to hearing how your meal goes when you finally make it to Shilpa. Re: Hibiscus – I think with the more expensive restaurants, it’s easier for people to feel disappointed, so I’m not surprised when there’s a mix of reviews at that level.

@Melanie – Not to freak you out, but additional to what ILR will cost in the future is the thought of how quickly immigration requirements change!